The Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for oil and natural gas, has effectively remained closed, sending oil prices surging
President Donald Trump on Monday said that a weeks-long ceasefire with Iran is in jeopardy and suggested that more U.S. strikes could be coming as he rejected a proposal submitted by Tehran.
When he was asked at an unrelated event at the White House if a ceasefire was still intact, the president said it is on “life support” and “unbelievably weak.” It came as Tehran submitted a proposal to end the conflict over the past weekend, which Trump previously criticized on social media.
“I would call it the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us,” Trump said. “I didn’t even finish reading it.”
The president, in his comments at the White House or on social media, did not provide details about the Iranian proposal.
A ceasefire between the United States and Iran went into effect in April, ending weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country that started on Feb. 28. The Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for oil and natural gas, has effectively remained closed in the meantime and has sent oil prices surging while rattling stock markets worldwide.
In the meantime, the U.S. military has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on May 11 that 62 commercial ships and four ships had been disabled as it enforced the blockade.
The United States and Israel, in their initial strikes, killed dozens of high-ranking Iranian officials, including the country’s top leader, and the conflict has inflicted heavy damage to Iran’s economy, but the regime has crushed protests and maintained its grip on power.
Trump has demanded that Iran’s nuclear material be removed completely and has said that Tehran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS’s “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired on Sunday that a critical goal is getting the nuclear material out of Iran.
If that can’t be accomplished with negotiations, Netanyahu said, Israel and the U.S. governments have agreed that “we can reengage them militarily.”
Responding to Trump’s comment, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Tehran’s proposal contained what he said were reasonable demands and suggested that Iran be able to control the strait.
“Is our proposal for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz unreasonable? Is establishing peace and security across the entire region irresponsible?” spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a news conference, according to state-run PressTV.
Previously, Trump and other U.S. officials have said that Tehran exerting control over the waterway is a nonstarter and would threaten international shipping as well as the freedom of navigation.
On Monday, the U.S. president said he would suspend the federal tax on gasoline to help Americans shoulder higher fuel prices caused by the war, as prices reached $4.50 per gallon in recent days, according to the American Automobile Association.
Trump is expected to use a trip this week to China to urge its leader, Xi Jinping, to pressure Iran. The Chinese regime is the biggest buyer of Iran’s sanctioned crude oil, giving it some leverage in discussions.
The Epoch Times, The Associated Press
